As younger and younger children are asking for – and receiving – electronic toys and music devices like MP3s and iPods, it is critical that parents learn how to protect their children’s hearing and teach them safe listening habits.
Here are some simple guidelines:
How to Maintain Healthy Hearing
• If you must raise your voice to be heard, it is loud enough to damage hearing.
• When evaluating toys for small children, bear in mind that their arms are short and they tend to hold toys close to their face, making noises even louder.
• If you can hear music from someone else’s earphones three feet away, it’s too loud.
• Give your ears a break from continuous listening.
• Upgrade headphones so that they isolate music from background noise. Lower volumes can then be used.
• Set volume limiters before allowing children to use electronic items.
• www.listentoyourbuds.org is a fun website created by hearing experts and educators with video games for kids, and information for teachers, parents and reporters to learn about hearing safety. The site is also available in Spanish.
How to Recognize Hearing Loss in Children
• Frequently misunderstands what is said and want things repeated
• Difficulty following verbal instructions
• Turns up the volume of the television, radio, or stereo
• Difficulty listening or paying attention when there is noise in the background
• Trouble identifying and/or localizing sounds
• Reading, spelling, and other academic problems
• Feelings of isolation, exclusion, annoyance, embarrassment, confusion, and helplessness
• Behavior problems
• Pulling or scratching at ears
• A history of three or more ear infections
• If you suspect hearing loss, seek the care and advice of a certified audiologist.
• www.asha.org offers referrals and additional materials on hearing loss, including animated video of how sound damages the ear's hair cells at http://asha.org/about/news/convention06/1106animationEar.htm
ASHA is the first and only healthcare advocacy organization focusing on teaching young children safe listening habits.
About ASHA
ASHA, located in Rockville, Maryland, is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 127,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the United States and internationally. For more information on speech, language, and hearing disorders, consumers can visit the ASHA Web site or call 1-800-638-TALK.
About the Listen To Your Buds Campaign
ASHA’s Listen to Your Buds campaign is supported by the Consumer Electronics Association, Arlington, Virginia; Califone International, Inc., San Fernando, California; Pause Parent Play, Washington, D.C.; Unwired Technologies of New York, and the rock group, O.A.R.
Video is available by contacting the source.
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Comment by Julie Davids